THE Effects of morinda citrifolia, momordica charantia and centella asiatica extracts on lipoprotein lipase and 3t3-l1 preadipocytes

The effect of Morinda citrifolia fruit (MCFE), Momordica charantia (MCE) and Centella asiatica (CAE) extracts on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes was investigated. The inhibitory effect of the extracts on LPL activity was determined in vitro. The extent of cell proliferation was determined utilizing 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and the degree of differentiation was measured by Oil Red O staining assay. Extracts were analyzed for total phenolic compounds and flavonoids utilizing Folin-Ciocalteu assay and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Results showed that, at 1 mg/mL, MCFE demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect (21.4 ± 2.3%), compared to the other extracts tested. On the other hand, MCE demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect on both proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes (LC₅₀of 1.6 mg/L). LC₅₀ refers to the concentration of extracts (mg/mL) to cause a 50% reduction in viable cells. Results also revealed that all extracts consisted of high concentration of phenolic compounds, with catechin and epicatechin predominantly present in all three extracts, that maybe responsible for the activities measured. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Obesity has become an important public health issue, being a risk factor for various types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and metabolic disorders. Classical weight loss programs, such as low-fat diets, often fail to achieve a long-term maintenance of weight loss. As a consequence of that, alternative such as the use of natural products in prevention and treatment of obesity is studied. Results from the study indicate that both Momordica charantia and Morinda citrifolia fruit extracts exert antiobesity effects by inhibiting proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes and lipoprotein lipase activity in vitro, respectively. Both fruits have great potential to be used as the main ingredient in developing functional foods for antiobesity purposes.